Neighborhood

History

Neighborhood

History

360 years of paper production

The Papieri project goes back centuries. The craft learned here was passed down from generation to generation for 360 years. In 1657, Zug Town Council granted Johann Kaspar Brandenberg and Beat Jakob Knopfli permission to use the power of the River Lorze for a paper mill. Paper production in Cham was up and running. Around 100 years later, in around 1780, the mill made the leap from manual papermaking to early mechanization with the installation of the Hollander beater, a machine that could cut, grind and mix the plant fibers. The next quantum leap came in 1840, when mechanized handicraft was replaced by industrial production. It was the dawn of a new era.

[Translate to Englisch:] Querschneidersaal & Packerei 1920
[Translate to Englisch:] Kalandersaal ca. im Jahre 1915
[Translate to Englisch:] Kalandersaal ca. 1915: Betrieb noch mit Transmission
Papier zählen und sortieren im Papiersortiersaal ca. 1920
[Translate to Englisch:] «Holländer-Saal» in der PM3, 1914

The rate of change was swift. In 1912, the paper mill became an incorporated company, and in the Naville-Vogel era it developed into the largest company in the entire Ennetsee area, with a great many factory buildings, workshops and housing developments. Over 300 people were employed in the Cham paper mill at that time. Crisis struck in the economic downturn of the 1970s, and the paper business collapsed. As a result, Cham Industrieholding was founded, to later be renamed the Cham-Tenero Paper Mill following a takeover by Cartiere di Locarni.

Three of the paper machines were shut down in 1983. In response to this, the mill in Cham began focusing on special types of paper and exporting them worldwide. The paper mill managed to survive the crisis in the paper industry thanks to this new international outlook and the relocation of some of the production divisions abroad.

In 2009, the name was changed to Cham Paper Group. In order to remain competitive in a globalized market environment, the Group's paper production activities were completely relocated to the Italian plants by 2015.

This marked the start of a new phase for the Papieri site. It’s a thrilling tale that in many ways seems to foreshadow the repurposing that is going on there today. 2018 saw a final name change – to the Cham Group. Now that the area was free, it could be used to create a new and attractive residential and working neighborhood. These efforts have breathed fresh life into the Papieri site – it is a bright, wonderfully diverse place that obviously takes pride in its industrial roots.

A place in metamorphosis

Pioneering spirit, a love of innovation and sheer courage formed the foundations for the paper mill in 1657. The development of the site stems from an urge to create, a thirst for action and a clear vision of how community living can prove a real success. Over 360 years since the paper mill was first founded, a seismic change is occurring in this historic place, both structurally and socially.

A place in metamorphosis

Pioneering spirit, a love of innovation and sheer courage formed the foundations for the paper mill in 1657. The development of the site stems from an urge to create, a thirst for action and a clear vision of how community living can prove a real success. Over 360 years since the paper mill was first founded, a seismic change is occurring in this historic place, both structurally and socially.

A model participation process

Setting out the basic principles for the development of a project on this scale calls for a planning process that can meet the mark. This was achieved in the form of a moderated, externally managed cooperative planning process involving the town council, the landowner and the people of Cham. The process has taken a good five years.

Groundbreaking principles were set out in specific terms and a multi-phase test planning process was organized in tandem with renowned urban planners from Switzerland and further afield. In the end, the broad-based assessment committee was most impressed by the guideline design by Albi Nussbaumer Architekten from Zug and Boltshauser Architekten from Zurich. This provided the basis for the subsequent construction plan.

Drawing up the construction plan

On September 25, 2016, around 60% of the planning panel voted in favor of the development. Various partial amendments to the zoning plan were accepted, along with the development plan. The new and varied Papieri neighborhood is now being built based on these solid foundations, with considerable support from the locals.

Drawing up the construction plan

On September 25, 2016, around 60% of the planning panel voted in favor of the development. Various partial amendments to the zoning plan were accepted, along with the development plan. The new and varied Papieri neighborhood is now being built based on these solid foundations, with considerable support from the locals.

Kathrin Sonderegger
Verantwortliche Kommunikation
Cham Group

we are the
papieri people

we are the
papieri people

Kathrin Sonderegger
Verantwortliche Kommunikation
Cham Group

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